Page 31 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021 - Online Magazine

HONORING SENIORS

and Claude’s annual July Caprock
Roundup. To record honorees who
have received quilts, the group made a
quilt to recognize the first 25 Veterans
who were honored. The quilt was
created with the leftover pieces of the
original quilts with that Veteran’s name,
service, rank and years served inscribed
on the material from their quilt. This
quilt hangs in the Hall of Honor at the
Armstrong County Museum. It was
dedicated in June 2019. The community
gathered to honor these first 25 Veterans
at the unveiling of this Quilt of Honor.
Feelings of appreciation mingled with
a sense of sadness the day the quilt was
bequeathed to the Hall of Honor, as 7
of the 25 veterans named on the honor
quilt had died in the previous three
years.

Yogi Berra, Navy Hero, Purple Heart
and Presidential Medal of Freedom
recipient and baseball great, said, “Little
things make big things happen.”
service by local heroes. They remembered stories of one And so it has been in Armstrong County. “Little things
old soldier who had been shot, wounded, and escaped still make big things happen.”
to return to Claude and home. They thought about the
sailor, a seaman first class, who steered a boat loaded
with soldiers while dodging bullets from the enemy.
They remembered the heroes who live in Claude: those
with Silver Stars, Purple Hearts, Bronze Stars, and
Distinguished Service Medals.
It was a little thing: The chairperson of the county’s
museum asked the group to organize an exhibit in the
Art Gallery for Fall 2018. The quilters were pleased to
display quilts yet to be presented and some that had
been previously presented to veterans. One World War
II Marine veteran loaned his quilt but wanted it back
within three
days. He
declared that
he kept it on
his bed and
did not want to
part with it any
longer.
Many quilts
have been
made and
presented at
the school’s
Veterans
Day event

Amarillo Senior Link 31